Winter Storms Read Free

mobile phone charger, and a packet of prescription painkillers stood beside a bottle of water. How often did she need those tablets?
    In his mind, her scream echoed, and he saw again the great gaping wound on her leg, pouring blood. He hadn’t thought she would survive the journey in the lifeboat to the shore, and from the worried expression of the crew, he knew they doubted it too. Why had he insisted they sail that day?

CHAPTER TWO
    Daniel knocked at the front door, before reaching for his key. It was always awkward returning home as an adult; did you walk straight in, or wait to be invited? Stepping into the hall, he breathed in the scent of cooking mince pies and smiled. Neither he nor Imogen cooked much and certainly neither of them ever baked; the rich, sweet smell of pastry immediately took him back to his childhood.
    “Daniel!” His mother ran down and threw her arms around him. “What a wonderful surprise! Where’s Imogen? I thought you were going abroad for Christmas.”
    “I’ll explain later, things have changed a bit. Where’s Dad?”
    “Said he was going for a pint at the sailing club, but I suspect he’s gone to buy my Christmas present. I’ll make a bed up; go into the lounge, your sister’s in there.”
    Daniel eased his rucksack off his shoulders, flexed his back, then opened the sitting room door. Sitting cross-legged on the rug beside a tree glowing with tiny white lights his sister, Ali, looked like the excited little girl he remembered, waiting for Santa at Christmas, until she sat up straighter and he saw the huge swelling under her knitted dress. Her grey eyes were lively, reminding him he should smile more. Compared to her cheerful face, his expression in the mirror above the fireplace looked grim.
    “Daniel, I thought I heard your voice!” she said and began to heave herself up.
    “Hi, Ali.” He kissed her cheek. “Don’t stand up, mum would never forgive me if your waters broke all over the carpet.”
    She laughed, sitting back down. “I’m surprised you know about things like that, obsessive sportsman that you are.”
    “Even sailors watch TV. How are you feeling?”
    “All right, just want it over with now. I’m afraid the baby’s going to decide to come when Steve’s in the middle of the Atlantic.”
    “I thought he was coming off the fishing boats?” Daniel sank onto the sofa.
    Ali shrugged. “There’s no work, and with me going on maternity leave, we can’t take the risk of him being unemployed. I hate it when he’s out with the fleet, one of the trawlers lost a man last week.”
    “Steve’s an experienced and careful fisherman.”
    “Yes, but you know what the ocean can be like.” With her mouth set, she didn’t resemble a gleeful child anymore, but looked like his mother did when the boats were late back into harbour.
    “It’s not too bad out there today,” he said, standing up to draw the curtains so she couldn’t see the trees bent double.
    “Where’s Imogen?”
    “With her family, we’ve called off the wedding.”
    “What?”
    “It’s cancelled, we’ve split up.”
    “Oh.” She stared at him, wide eyed. “I’m sorry, you must be so upset. Was it her or you?”
    “Technically her, but she was right. It was a relief when she admitted it wasn’t working, I knew too, but didn’t want to upset her.”
    “You couldn’t have married her then, it would have ended up even worse in the long run.”
    “I know, I just couldn’t face the guilt of cancelling the wedding, it was a mistake to ask her in the first place, I mistook fondness for love.”
    “I think you just wanted to get married to prove to yourself you’d moved on. I was never sure about Imogen; nice girl, but there was no connection between you.”
    Daniel turned to look at her. For years it had been him advising Ali, but his sister was grown up now, a wife and soon to be a mother. He stretched and held his hands, the fingers still numb, toward the gas fire.
    “I rushed into it,